


Orphan Kitten

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 18:36:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12195426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Darko gets a kitten for his Shadow. Shadow belongs to Shadowlord13.





	Orphan Kitten

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shadowlord13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowlord13/gifts).



Shadow wasn't usually this late in answering the door. Or perhaps that was simply just Darko imagining that she was taking a long time to get to the door. Time did seem to have a habit of passing slower when one was out in the rain, trying desperately to keep a tiny bundle warm and dry.

"Finally," said Darko when Shadow finally opened the door. He walked inside, unmindful of how the water was running off his coat and onto the floor.

"What's the rush?" asked Shadow, pressing the button to close the door to their quarters on the base. Darko had moved to a different room after many weeks of training her, saying that he wanted a bigger room for them to train in and easier access to the portal. Of course, the real truth was that Darko simply wanted to make it easier for Shadow to come and visit him whenever she had training or just wanted to spend time with her boyfriend (the others joked about booty calls, but Darko didn't know about these jokes).

"You'll see, just- uh, help me out of my coat?" said Darko, standing still in the entryway. His hands were too busy keeping his precious bundle warm, so he couldn't snap his fingers or use his magic the way he usually would to undress. That was also why he hadn't been able to unlock the door.

"Alright," said Shadow, walking around behind Darko and starting to pull his wet coat off. "Uh, you're gonna have to move your hands." Darko pursed his lips but then quickly moved what he was holding to one hand while he pulled his arm out of one coat sleeve. The thing made a tiny squeak of protest, but fortunately the sound of wet leather muffled it. Shadow was none the wiser as she pulled off Darko's coat and walked over to hang it on the coat rack.

When she returned, though, Darko was quickly realising that he'd wet the furniture if he sat down. Stupid necessary rain.

"I hope you're not going to ask me to take your pants off next," said Shadow with a laugh. "What are you holding, anyway?"

"Well... you're going to see it anyway, so here," said Darko, and held his hands out to her. Shadow gasped, her eyes growing big as she beheld the tiny black bundle of fluff that Darko held in his hands. The tiny creature blinked its blue eyes at Shadow, and yawned with another squeak. Darko could feel the tremble in his hands as it stretched.

"Can I hold?" asked Shadow, grinning as she held her hands out.

"Of course," said Darko, stretching his arms out so that Shadow could carefully take the kitten from him. She held it against her chest, grinning so much that Darko couldn't help but grin back.

"Hello, little guy," Shadow cooed. "Aww, aren't you just the most pwecious widdle thing." Darko had to chuckle at the way she was baby-talking the animal, even though he had been doing that (in secret, of course) the whole way here.

"I remember that you were almost crying over cute kitten videos the other day," said Darko.

"I seem to remember seeing you wipe away a few tears then, too," said Shadow, smirking at him. "He's so cute, I love him!"

"I do too," said Darko. "Of course, if anyone sees me acting like this or asks me about it, I will vehemently deny it, but he just makes my heart melt." As he spoke, he took his pants off, and Shadow covered the kitten's eyes with her hand. Darko rolled his eyes and snapped on a pair of tracksuit pants (which were also only seen by her) before he sat down on the couch in their quarters.

"I set out to find you a kitten after that night," said Darko as Shadow joined him on the couch, still holding the kitten to her chest. It clung to her shirt with tiny, outstretched claws. "I searched the entirety of Jorvik, yet I could not find a kitten that suited you. I saw many cats, but only a few kittens. And most of those kittens were not the right colour or personality."

"So you had to find a little shadow for me?" asked Shadow, rubbing her fingers over the tiny body. The tiniest purr could be heard, and she cooed in delight. Darko felt his heart skip a beat.

"Of course," said Darko. "I had to find a shadow for my Shadow."

"Go on, I know you want to tell me about how you found him," said Shadow, seeing the way her boyfriend's fingers drummed on the couch cushion as he resisted the urge to break into a long and dramatic story.

"Very well, then," said Darko, standing up so as not to hit his girlfriend in the face accidentally when he got too dramatic (the first time he'd done that, he'd apologised so profusely but Shadow insisted that she was fine. He still felt guilty about it to this day).

"Should I have made some popcorn?" asked Shadow, sitting the tiny kitten in her lap. It curled up into the tiniest loaf on her leg, and she touched her chest in delight.

"I travelled," Darko began, and then spread his arms out, "far and wide to find the perfect kitten! A shadow for my Shadow. A companion for her, when the night was dark and lonely and I was nowhere near my home. When she needed someone to hold, someone to love who would give her that love in return. But in every place I searched, I could not find the perfect kitten. I searched in pet stores, farms, the homes of the people-"

"Please do not steal other people's pets," Shadow cut in, but Darko ignored her and continued on.

"They alleyways, the sewers, even the graveyard! But not a single perfect kitten could be found. They were all too boring, or too plain, or too light. You deserve something dark, something loving, something playful like yourself. And there came a time when I thought that my quest was doomed to fail. Perhaps my standards were too high, perhaps it was too much to ask to find a kitten of black colouring who was a good match for you and a good substitute for me. But finally!" And here he pointed up, stretching his arm out in an emphatic gesture. "Finally, I came across the perfect kitten!" He lowered his voice, and Shadow leaned forward a little, holding the tiny loaf in her hands.

"It was among the golden leaves of Goldenleaf Forest," Darko continued. "I was pacing, cursing myself, cursing the world for failing to deliver unto me the perfect kitten. But then, I heard a noise. It was a tiny voice, crying out for help. 'Mew. Mew. Help me Darko', it said." Shadow tried very, very hard not to laugh as Darko's voice rose into a higher pitch to voice the kitten. "And I said to the little one, 'where are you, my dear, lost child?' and it said 'over here, Mr Darko, hidden in this pile of golden leaves'. And so I walked over to the pile, and I dug through the leaves carefully, taking my gloves off so that the kitten would feel warmth. And I found a most terrible sight." Shadow braced herself for the worst.

"It was an empty nest," said Darko. "There was a little fur there, but not much else. I know not what happened to the mother, nor if there were any other kittens there. But I did find a little ball of black fur, mewling as loud as it possibly could. And so I scooped it up, cradling it against my chest as though it were my own child, and I carried it all the way home to you."

"Thank you," said Shadow, smiling at him. "It sounds like you went through a lot to get him."

"Oh, I did. But it was all worth it for you, my dear Shadow," said Darko, lowering his hands to his sides and smiling at her. Shadow got up, walked over to Darko, and kissed him. She would have embraced him too, but she was too busy holding the snoozy kitten against her chest again. Darko stroked the soft black fur, smiling fondly.

"I think I want to name him Kito," said Shadow. "Naming him after myself would be kinda corny, don't you think?"

"You know that I love corniness," said Darko. "But I must remember that he is your kitten, so you should get to name him. And, I must confess, I do rather like the name that you chose."

"Yeah, it just seems to suit him," said Shadow. Kito blinked at Darko, and Darko felt his heart melt. The kitten was very good at causing that reaction in him.

"May I hold him?" asked Darko.

"Of course you can," said Shadow, smiling as she handed the kitten over. "I'll need to set up the kitty litter and food and water for him anyway."

"I could do that," said Darko.

"I know, but I want to," said Shadow, still smiling as she picked up her wallet and grabbed her coat from the coat rack. "You can bond with Kito, I'm going out to buy kitty litter, and a litter tray, and food and water bowls, and food for him, and toys, and a bed, and several books... wait, he is old enough to be eating solid food, isn't he?"

"I confess that I do not know that," said Darko. "He cannot tell me his age."

"There isn't a spell for that or something?" asked Shadow. "Come on, Darko, there are spells for everything."

"I don't want to risk hurting this little one," said Darko, petting Kito's tiny head and ears.

"Aww, you've grown attached to him," Shadow cooed.

"Of course I did, after I carried him home over the sea and through the cursed rain on this oil rig, we have bonded," said Darko. "Haven't we, Kito?" The kitten clung to his shirt and looked up at Darko with big, blue eyes. Then it yawned, the sound cutting off with a squeak.

"You two keep each other company while I'm gone, okay?" said Shadow, pulling her boots on. "I'll be back in a little bit, don't get into any trouble now."

"Oh, we'll be just fine," said Darko, scratching Kito behind the ears as the kitten purred loudly. "Don't you worry." Shadow smiled at them, and then waved before she put up her umbrella and headed out into the rain.

Shadow hurried down to the boats, quickly finding an empty one and getting into it. It was soaking wet, of course, but Shadow barely felt it. She was too busy trying to memorise every little thing she'd need for Kito.

Fortunately, Shadow had done some research into owning a pet kitten, having had the wish to adopt one for a long time now. She loved cats, kittens especially, almost as much as she loved horses. And, of course, almost as much as she loved Darko. And now the person she loved had given her the thing she loved most. She couldn't stop grinning, and she almost skipped over to the pet store at Fort Pinta.

"Hi, I have a brand new baby kitten at home," said Shadow, grinning at the equally-delighted shop assistant.

"Congratulations!" the other girl squealed. "Fortunately, we have everything here that you'll need for taking care of an adorable baby kitten. You'll just have to remember to take him in to the vet for his shots, and to get him neutered, of course, unless you want to breed him. Wait, it is a boy cat, right?"

"Yes," said Shadow, nodding.

"Oh, good, then it's even more important," said the girl. "Here, I'll give you a card for a good veterinarian when I ring up your items." Shadow smiled and nodded, so thrilled to finally be able to experience this thing that she'd dreamed of for so long now.

The journey back to the oil rig seemed longer as Shadow was impatient to see her boyfriend and her kitten again. She almost slipped on the wet stairs in her haste to get back to the room. Fortunately, she'd taken a key with her, so she was able to get back into the room and out of her wet coat quickly. But then, once the coat was hanging on the coat rack and the door was closed, Shadow cooed in delight at what she saw on the bed.

Darko had fallen asleep on the bed, and Kito was curled up on his chest, lulled to sleep by the slow rise and fall of it. Darko's hand rested gently on the tiny black form, and Shadow was pretty sure that her heart was melted on the floor by this point. She put her shopping down and walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it and carefully taking her phone out of her pocket. She snapped a photo of the sleeping pair, quickly making it her phone background. Her Kito and her Darko, the two most precious things in the world to her.


End file.
